Taras Bulba (1924)

The Cossacks, an untamed and warlike people of horsemen, have advanced west on their campaign as far as Poland and are now besieging the city of Dubno. Cossack leader Taras Bulba tries in vain to storm the city. The Poles, although on their own, put up a brave resistance. Bulba’s younger son, Andry, has been in love for several years with Panotschka, the daughter of Dubno’s Polish commander, the voivode, ever since they met at the seminary in Kyiv. The besieged are gradually running out of food, so Panotschka sends an emissary—her maidservant—to Andry, asking him to bring bread and meat for her and the trapped, starving population. Andry is willing to follow his beloved into the besieged city. He slips into Dubno through a secret passage and is received there with full honors by Panotschka’s father. A Cossack market boy has watched him leave under cover of darkness and tells Taras that his son has apparently defected to the enemy. The Cossacks then try to enter Dubno by the same route, but the Poles flood the secret passage, and the pursuers nearly drown miserably. Andry can now marry his Panotschka and becomes a Polish officer. Soon, however, fortune turns, and the Poles receive help from outside. The Tatars have invaded Cossack territory in Ukraine, forcing Taras Bulba’s army to split up. One part remains outside Dubno, while the other returns home to Ukraine to drive back the invaders there. The Poles can now attempt a breakout from Dubno. Father and son face each other in battle, and when Taras Bulba gets hold of his renegade son Andry, he kills the alleged traitor with his own hands. In response to Andry’s violent death, the Poles now seek cruel revenge on the Cossacks. When they capture Ostip, Bulba’s second son, Taras Bulba learns of it and disguises himself to sneak into enemy territory so he can see his son one more time. But he is recognized and is to die, shortly after his son Ostip, whom the Poles hang. Six Cossacks then dare a daring rescue attempt, which even succeeds. While escaping, Taras Bulba realizes that he has lost his beloved pipe and rides back. There he falls into the hands of the Poles once again, and this time they make short work of him: he is burned at the stake.